Galatians 3:8
in Galatians 3The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.
KJV
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
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This verse in Galatians 3
Commentary
6 notes on this verseon Galatians 3:8-9
(Verse 8, 9.) But the Scripture, foreseeing that by faith God would justify the Gentiles, foretold to Abraham that all nations would be blessed in him. So then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Not that the Scripture itself, namely the ink and the parchment, which are insensible, can foreknow the future; but rather the Holy Spirit and the senses, hidden in the letter, have foretold things to come many centuries later.
This site's exposition
accounted to him for righteousness
on Galatians 3:6-9
Paul reaches back past Sinai to Genesis 15:6, where Abraham believed God and righteousness was reckoned to him with no law yet given. Verse 8 makes the larger claim: Genesis 12:3, in thee shall all nations be blessed, was the gospel preached beforehand to Abraham, so Gentile justification by faith was in the promise from the start. They which are of faith, Jew or Gentile, are the sons who share faithful Abraham's blessing.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the Scripture foreseeing,.... This seems to agree with the Jewish forms or citing passages of Scripture, מה ראה הכתוב, "what does the Scripture foresee?" and מה ראתה תורה, (n) "what does the law foresee?"
The scripture is said to foresee, because he that indited the scripture did foresee, that God would justify the heathen world in the way of faith; and therefore in Abraham, that is, in the seed of Abraham, which is Christ, not the Jews only, but the Gentiles also, should be blessed; not only blessed in the seed of Abraham, but blessed as Abraham was, being justified as he was.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The Scripture, foreseeing - See the notes on Rom 4:3-16 (note). As God intended to justify the heathen through faith, he preached the Gospel that contains the grand display of the doctrine of salvation by faith, before, to Abraham, while he was in his heathen state; and thus he is called the father of believers: therefore it must refer to them who shall believe the same Gospel among the Gentiles; and, as the door of faith was open to all the Gentiles, consequently the promise was fulfilled: In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
God justifieth the Jews, too, "by faith, not by works." But he specifies the Gentiles in particular here, as it was their case that was in question, the Galatians being Gentiles. preached before the gospel--"announced beforehand the Gospel." For the "promise" was substantially the Gospel by anticipation.
The words behind it
22 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| προϊδοῦσα | proidousa | Having foreseen | G4308 → | |
| δὲ | de | then | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γραφὴ | graphe | Scripture | G1124 → | 49 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἐκ | ek | by | G1537 → | 911 times |
| πίστεως | pisteos | faith | G4102 → | 242 times |
| δικαιοῖ | dikaioi | justifies | G1344 → | 38 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔθνη | ethne | Gentiles | G1484 → | 161 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεός, | theos | God, | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| προευηγγελίσατο | proeuengelisato | foretold the gospel | G4283 → | |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἀβραὰμ | abraam | to Abraham | G11 → | 73 times |
| ὅτι | hoti | that | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἐνευλογηθήσονται | eneulogethesontai | Will be blessed | G1757 → | |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| σοὶ | soi | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| πάντα | panta | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἔθνη. | ethne | nations. | G1484 → | 161 times |
προϊδοῦσαHaving foreseen
proidousaG4308 →
δὲthen
deG1161 →2765 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
γραφὴScripture
grapheG1124 →49 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἐκby
ekG1537 →911 times
πίστεωςfaith
pisteosG4102 →242 times
δικαιοῖjustifies
dikaioiG1344 →38 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
ἔθνηGentiles
ethneG1484 →161 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
θεός,God,
theosG2316 →1312 times
προευηγγελίσατοforetold the gospel
proeuengelisatoG4283 →
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
Ἀβραὰμto Abraham
abraamG11 →73 times
ὅτιthat
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἐνευλογηθήσονταιWill be blessed
eneulogethesontaiG1757 →
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
σοὶyou
soiG4771 →2973 times
πάνταall
pantaG3956 →1235 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
ἔθνη.nations.
ethneG1484 →161 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 22:18And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
it leads to
- Acts 3:25
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 18:18
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 3:25
Through
Genesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
it leads to
- Genesis 22:18
And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 26:4
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 27:29
May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you…
- Acts 3:25–26
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- Numbers 24:9
He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”
- Genesis 22:18
Where this verse is studied
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1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Galatians; John Calvin, Commentary on Galatians; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.